UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty chimed in this past week with an op-ed in The New York Times, addressing the flaws in the U.S. healthcare system. But let’s not pretend this was breaking news: “The system is broken” is hardly a revelation. What grabbed attention was Witty’s condemnation of the “vitriol” aimed at the insurance industry following the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month.
Thompson, who Witty described as “working to make things better,” was shot and killed in New York on Dec. 4. The accused shooter, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, pleaded not guilty to murder charges and allegedly wrote a manifesto criticizing the health care system. For the record, Mangione wasn’t even insured by UnitedHealthcare, but that didn’t stop the story from sparking broader outrage.
Witty acknowledged what we all know: the healthcare system isn’t exactly a model of efficiency. “No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades,” he wrote. Gee, you think? Most of us didn’t need a corporate op-ed to spell that out.
While pointing out the system’s obvious shortcomings, Witty stressed that it’s full of hardworking people who are “trying their best” to serve patients. He also expressed dismay at the threats and hostility directed at insurance employees, from call center staff to home-visiting nurses. “No employees – be they the people who answer customer calls or nurses who visit patients in their homes – should have to fear for their and their loved ones’ safety,” Witty wrote. That is a fair point, but it’s also hard to ignore the deep-seated frustrations fueling such anger.
Witty’s proposed fix? Better communication about what insurance actually covers and how those decisions are made. He claims these decisions are backed by “clinical evidence focused on achieving the best health outcomes.” Critics might counter that those outcomes often prioritize corporate profits over patient care.
So, yes, we need a better healthcare system, but Witty’s polished plea feels like a Band-Aid on a bullet wound—especially when the industry he represents is often seen as part of the problem.
